The present invention relates to a method of producing composite resins, preferably for use as a dental material, including dental filling and facing materials, luting cements, crown and bridge materials, denture and artificial-teeth materials.
For the production of composite materials it is known to bind ceramic particles by means of a resin. Generally, one proceeds from a paste or putty-like mixture of hardenable monomer (organic liquid resin) and solid ceramic particles. The ceramic particles are bonded when the monomer hardens. This technique requires an excess amount of monomer, which results in the particles being separate at a substantial distance from each other in the hardened structure. The resin component will therefore negatively affect the properties of the composite material, at least as far as strength, rigidness and surface structure are concerned. Other properties, such as the thermal and viscoelastic properties, color stability, surface smoothness and the shrinkage at hardening are also affected thereby. A dental restorative composite resin of this kind comprising a blend of liquid polymerizable organic binder and a solid inorganic filler is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,006,112 to Bowen.